Me, Myself, and I

Why is it so hard for moms to take time for themselves?  Mom guilt is such a weird thing.  I get so focused on making sure everyone in my wee lil family is Ok that I forget about me.  In some regards it's no big deal but not only do I sometimes just need a break from the long days, I don't want to get o the place where I can't find the "me" anymore.  I think it's important to stay an individual and engage in small things you enjoy.

I've really been working on taking some quality time for myself, like recently taking a 3 hour photography class ($25 Groupon! wootwoot), letting Jim hang with Riesling while I go to the grocery store alone, which most certainly includes a pit stop at Starbucks, or going out for a drink after work to celebrate my birthday with my coworkers even though it means Jim putting Riesling to bed (gasp!).

I don't know why I struggle with taking a time out so much, especially on days when I really need it.  If I'm tired, worn out, or frustrated after a long day with a cranky teething baby I'm not being my best mom self anyways.   And just an hour alone helps clear my head and I come home refreshed and ready to dive back in. Like I said mom guilt is weird.  Aside from those occasional outings solo,  I'm also working on taking better care of myself on a day to day basis.  Again, healthy mommy equals happy mommy.  Here's my hit list:

Drink more water.  It is ridiculous that I have to put this in writing, but for some reason during the winter months I tend to forget about hydration.  I don't drink much else besides coffee, tea, and a glass of wine at night so it's not like I'm drinking a lot of soda or anything, I'm just not drinking anything at all.  No good.

Take my vitamins.  I go through spurts where I forget all about those magic little pills.  I take D3, prenatal multivitamins, and a B12 everyday.  I also like to take an Omega 3 supplement of some sort, I prefer flaxseed or flaxseed oil in a smoothie or something but if I don't fit that it I need to remember to take the pill.  I started

Eat lunch. Another stupid one.  Why am I not taking time to freakin' eat?!  Usually what happens is that I get some consumed with playtime, nap time, squeezing in chores, and getting an afternoon walk in with the dog that I just grab something quick.  Blue chips & hummus with a handful of almonds is not a proper lunch.  I just don't want to take the time to prepare something.  Work days are better because I pack a salad or leftovers the night before so I think I'll just try to prep something the night before for the other days too.

Workout at least 3 days a week.  Jim and I both struggle with this one.  Neither of us wants to get up early and take a morning shift at the Jim and we both kind of hate working out after dinner so it leaves a really small window Monday, Wednesday, & Friday for one of us to go to the gym after Jim gets home from work (no daycare at the place we belong to).  Of course there are the weekends which we tend to pile up with projects and family time and just kind of forget about weight lifting.  Luckily my job is physical in nature so I'm not sitting at a desk for long periods, we walk everyday with the dog, and Riesling is 20+lbs upper body workout all day long.  So, I'm not completely neglecting myself.  I think I need to start adding a in home workout during morning nap time a few days a week.  Any recommendations for videos or quick but effective routines?

Finding balance is hard but I definitely think I'm doing better than just a month ago.  I'll keep you posted on my success!

TGIF

 I don't know why but this seemed like the longest, fastest week ever.  Makes no sense, I know.   I also can't make sense of the jumbled To Do lists I have scattered throughout my house, purse, and car.  For no good reason it just was a hectic week for me, maybe more mentally than anything else. Regardless, I'm happy that it's Friday.  I'm also happy that my favorite season is in full swing.  I'm craving anything and everything pumpkin, hot apple cider and a heaping pile of brussel sprouts! 

I'm afraid to actually write anything since my brain is scrambled plus  I only had one cup of coffee and it's nearly 1 o'clock so I will just shower you with links.  Perhaps an little light reading, some topics, of general interest, and of course a few recipes I will be putting to good use....

25 Vegan Pumpkin Recipes

My favorite way to cook brussel sprouts

Roasted acorn squash soup (we ended up with 3-4 random guys growing in our spaghetti squash patch!)

A few to follow up on my rant about healthy living....

Economics of Junk Food 

Debate over whether organic is actually healthier

Fast food vs. healthy food

And a  little parenting to top it all off....

Ideas for reducing sugar overload at Halloween 

Parent Like a Caveman

Cry it Out?

Food, Inc.

I love food. I really do. And the more I learn to prepare food and experiment with new and ingredients the more I love food. I was a little concerned about watching this movie. I have enough dietary restrictions, plus some general hang ups about food and ingredients and thought this might just gross me out completely and turn me anorexic. It didn't and I would recommend watching it if you already haven't.

FYI. You can sign up for Netflix (the 1st month is free) and connect it thru your Wii and movies, TV programs, etc.

Partly due to our profession and our educational background, Jim and I are already pretty health conscientious, but I will tightening up on a few areas that we've gotten lazy with (i.e. organic yogurt and grass fed). There are a few gross-ish parts but a lot of that stuff I already knew about. For the most part I just found it more sickening to my soul. A bit disheartening.

This guy was my favorite..

In my future days I want to live his life...

Gym bag

I'm in the market for a new gym bag. I'm planning a 360 on my morning routine by getting a gym membership in grand ole Delaware. Yes, that means getting up early, driving 1 hr to the gym, working out, showering in a possibly crudy gym locker room, then straight to the office.

Major positive, I'll be missing all the traffic jams. Major negative, I'll be lugging around all my make-up, hair-dryer, and work clothes (that will have to be planned out and ironed ahead of time!). Hence, the need for a new gym bag.

This one seems practical with all it's little compartments and pre-locker shape. But, honestly I think it's ugly.

This Puma bag definitely scores better in terms of style, but I think a little too small for all my stuff.

Sherpani has a full line of bags of every shapes and size. I'm partial to this messenger bag with lots of pockets and an external strap for a yoga mat. Bonus: it's made from 67% recycled fabric...and FREE SHIPPING. I do love a a bargain.

A.M. yoga

I usually go to spin class on Monday mornings. I must admit I was a lot better at keeping up at 5:15am when it was warmer and there was actual light at that time of day. Today I was up but just didn't go. To be truthful, I just feel like getting sweaty. I plugged in the tree and did yoga on the floor next to it for about 45 minutes. It was so quiet and dark aside from the tree lights. I love the way it feels to breath in and move deeper into a pose on the long exhale.

It was a nice way to start my Monday.

Well-LABB

My very talented, creative, and inspiring friend Laura recently started her own line of wellness greeting cards. You can check them out here.